Shock data shows why qualified Aussies are missing out on jobs

Aussie job seekers are being knocked back for an unexpected reason, with new research revealing exactly what is costing you the role you want. See how to avoid it.

Two in five Aussie jobseekers are being rejected for roles because they are over-qualified.

New research examining whether employers genuinely struggle to find talent or if hiring practices unintentionally filter out good candidates reveals 40.3 per cent of jobseekers are told they have too many qualifications for the position.

The WorkPro research also finds more than a quarter of jobseekers have been offered lower roles than they initially sought.

Experts say it’s important jobseekers tailor resumes to every position applied for – and leave out details of higher-level qualifications that may work against them.

“Lying by omission is not what I call lying, I call that massaging the message,’’ career specialist Sue Ellson said.

“You should never lie (on a job application) but you should make sure your resume aligns to the job description.

“I would just leave everything else (that’s not relevant to the job opening) out.’’

REJECTED WITHOUT AN INTERVIEW

Burnt out as a corporate lawyer, Katie Richards quit her legal job and hoped to achieve a better work-life balance by taking on a reception or administrative role.

But she was rejected for every position she applied for without even gaining an interview, told she was over-qualified and unlikely to stick with the job long-term.

“I would have been happy answering phones – I would have done it with a big smile on my face – I was just done with working 80 to 100 hours a week (in law) and I wanted to be a normal human being again,’’ Ms Richards said.

“When they said I was over-qualified, I told them I could add so much value to the business – I had experience in marketing, business and law and I could help do amazing things like write full operations manuals about how the place is run.

“Maybe I wouldn’t have stuck around for 10 years but they would have got 10 years’ worth of work for the year I was there and I would have been happy to train someone else (for the role) before I left.’’

Ms Richards said the only job she was offered was pulling beers at a bar but she turned it down as it didn’t fit her healthy living priorities.

Eventually, she chose to start up her own online law firm, Virtual Legal, where she has more control over the hours she works.

Burnt out as a corporate lawyer, Katie Richards quit her legal job and hoped to achieve a better work-life balance.

HIRING BIAS

The WorkPro findings applied to Australian-born jobseekers, although the research found similar numbers of long-term migrants, who have been in Australia for at least five years, were also turned away from roles because they were deemed over-qualified.

Ms Ellson said in some instances, ageism and racism hid behind decisions not to hire applicants deemed too qualified for a role.

In other cases, employers failed to recognise the value an apparently over-qualified worker could bring to the company or were fearful of being “shown up’’, she said.

“The average punter (employer) wants an applicant on the left to look exactly like the job description on the right,’’ she said.

“If a lawyer answering the phone suddenly starts making suggestions (to improve the business), that could show up the other workers (in higher roles) and become an issue.’’

Ms Ellson advised workers looking for a role that they appeared over-qualified for to tap into the silent job market, noting 90 per cent of openings were never advertised.

“If you approach an organisation and say this is my situation, these are the skills I have and this is why I want this role, you are not competing against 300 other applicants and those AI-generated resumes that look extremely similar to the job description,’’ she said.

She suggested those offered a lower role than they applied for consider accepting it as a means of progressing to their desired position.

GETTING PERSONAL

WorkPro chief executive officer Tania Evans agreed a personal approach was best when it came to applying for roles that seemed beneath a candidate’s qualifications.

She said submitting a video application allowed candidates to explain why they wanted the role, suggesting jobseekers focus on areas such as their interest in the position, their cultural fit with the company or their keenness to change careers.

However, Ms Evans warned against leaving certain qualifications out of resumes and said background checks on candidates would uncover any omissions.

It was far better for job applicants to include all qualifications and explain why they shouldn’t count against them, she said.

Ms Evans said there were legitimate reasons for wanting a role that appeared less than someone was qualified for, such as returning to work after a considerable period of leave, the need for flexibility for family and personal commitments or wanting a less stressful job for better mental health.

Reasons that employers overlooked seemingly over-qualified candidates included concerns over why a jobseeker had failed to secure a higher-level job and fear of additional hiring costs should the worker resign for a role better suited to their skillset and need to be replaced, she said.

Barriers to securing work

• 40.3 per cent of Australian-born jobseekers and 37.5 per cent of long-term migrants are rejected for roles because they are over-qualified
• About 27 per cent of both jobseeker cohorts are offered lower than expected level jobs
• 41 per cent of Australian-born jobseekers and 32.1 per cent of long-term migrants struggle to get a job interview
• Up to 30 per cent of all job seekers don’t know how to tailor a CV
• 9.5 per cent of Australian-born jobseeker and 26.5 per cent of long-term migrants do not know how to standardise a CV for automated screening.

Source: WorkPro

Originally published as Shock data shows why qualified Aussies are missing out on jobs